


I'm not in 2020 anymore

by AngstRexbii



Category: Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: 80s, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Art for some chapters, Cuz im bad at those, Drama, F/F, High School, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Kurt Kelly/Ram Sweeney - Freeform, Slow Burn, Time Travel, but i promise you'll still love it, maybe? - Freeform, okay its not actually a reader insert, people are closeted, probably very slow burn, well i hope, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:28:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25623670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngstRexbii/pseuds/AngstRexbii
Summary: This couldn’t be happening.There’s just no way.She had to be tripping on some kind of drug, she thought, but the more she observed her surroundings of the 80s styled cafeteria and shoulder pad wearing students, the realer things became.Or a fic where a girl wakes up in 1989 and immediately has beef with the Demon Queen herself. (But she's gay so ya know ;))
Relationships: Heather Chandler/Original Female Character, Heather Chandler/Reader, Heather Duke/Heather McNamara
Comments: 27
Kudos: 64





	1. Chapter 1

This couldn’t be happening.

There’s just no way.

She had to be tripping on some kind of drug, she thought, but the more she observed her surroundings of the 80s styled cafeteria and shoulder pad wearing students, the realer things became.  
____________________________________________________________________________

The soft sound of an old rerun of Courage The Cowardly Dog was the only ambiance of the wildly yet simply decorated bedroom. That and not so soft snores coming from the resident of said bedroom.

That is until shrill beeping filled the room and the snores were replaced by an agitated groan.

“Danielle, get up and get ready before you’re late for school!” A gruff voice called from somewhere downstairs.

“Okay!” Danielle yelled back in annoyance. She groaned again and rolled over, stepping out of bed. The cold morning air sent a chill through her body as her feet made contact with the freezing wooden floor. A sigh escaped her lips and she stumbled groggily over to her closet.

Without much thought, she pulled out a white t-shirt, a black Dravus Travis men’s flannel, and a pair of men’s light wash jeans. She slipped on her favorite black sports bra and changed into a pair of black boxers to match before putting on the rest.

As she pulled on her black work boots and began tying her laces, the bedroom door opened and a middle aged man poked his head through. He looked the girl up and down and the disdain he tried to hide on his face was ever present.

“Hurry up, you’re gonna be late,” was all he said before backing out and closing the door. Danielle closed her eyes and sighed. Her relationship had been rough with her dad since she came out about a year and a half ago. It’s gotten better but it was still tough nonetheless.

She finished her laces and stood up, grabbing her backpack and stuffing her charger into the side pocket before walking out of her room and bouncing down the stairs.

She gave a quick ‘bye’ to her dad on the way out, and after receiving a nod in response, she shut the door behind her. 

Stepping into her 2020 Chevy Silverado 1500, she put the key into the ignition and twisted it. It roared to life and the radio blasted some new song she’d never heard before. She smiled and backed out of the driveway and started on her way to Westerburg High.  
Her and her dad may not have had an amazing relationship, but he did well by her. Provided her the best that he could and made sure she was happy. Danielle appreciated him and all he did, things were just hard without her mom and she understood the man’s own struggles.

When she pulled up to a red light, she pulled out her phone and connected it to her radio, putting on some song from her 80s playlist.

“Too Shy,” by Kajagoogoo began playing and she smiled. Sure it was a little overrated and the name of the band made her chuckle, but she liked it.

She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel to the rhythm of the song and nodded her head, mouthing the words the whole way to the school. When she pulled into the parking lot and parked in the student section, the song faded out. She let out a sigh and sat there for a moment.

“Sometimes I wish I was alive during the 80s,” she muttered before undoing her seat belt and hopping out of the large truck, making her way inside the old building. 

Westerburg itself had been around during the 80s, but had seen many changes. With new wings being built and remodeling done just about everywhere imaginable, Danielle wished silently that she could’ve seen it back in the day.

The walk to her first period English was nothing short of a hike. Why’d her classes have to be on the opposite side of the school and the oldest part of the building? She grumbled as she stepped through the door, barely beating the bell.

She walked to her usual seat in the back corner and plopped down uncaringly, leaning back and sticking an earbud into her right ear. She let her thick,short brown hair hang and frame her face so the teacher wouldn’t see it. Her usual playlist, consisting mostly of Ariana Grande, Joji, Nicki Minaj and other alternative artists began playing in her ear and she sighed.

Halfway through the lesson,she had fallen asleep with her head on her desk. In her dreams she saw a girl in red. That’s the only thing she could make out of the girl. Just red. In her usual Danielle nature though, it made her heart flutter. Typical lesbian.

She was startled awake by the sound of the bell. Except wait- that wasn’t the usual sound of the bell and, wait- where are all her classmates!?

What the hell is going on??

Danielle stood up and looked around. Her classroom’s usual decor was gone, now replaced with dull cream colored walls and- is that a chalkboard?

Her eyebrows knit in complete confusion as she grabbed her bag and headed out of the classroom. She felt a shred of normalcy when she was met by the usual flood of students walking in the hallways, except she’s never seen any of these people.

Deciding she was probably just bugging or something, she continued to her next period, lunch. It was A lunch, which is why it was so early. She loved food though and didn’t complain. The cafeteria wasn’t far, it was never changed when the school began remodeling, thankfully.

She was ready to head to her usual line and grab a plate of nachos when she slowed to a stop. Upon entering the cafeteria, the students grew quiet and began staring at her. Danielle’s cheeks tinted a soft shade of red, never being the center of attention aside from when she’d occasionally make snide remarks in her classes and her classmates would laugh.

So when almost the entire cafeteria stopped everything to look at her, she all but froze. 

That’s when it hit her.

This couldn’t be happening.

There’s just no way.

She had to be tripping on some kind of substance, she thought, but the more she observed her surroundings of the 80s styled cafeteria and shoulder pad wearing students, the realer things became.

“Holy shit,” she muttered,”This isn’t 2020.”

Before she could panic or even process what she had just said, the students' eyes all snapped to the other side of the cafeteria where four girls had just strutted in. The first was a blonde bubbly looking girl dressed in a yellow blazer and a matching skirt. Behind her was a not so bubbly looking girl, dressed in a green blazer and a black skirt. After her was a more timid looking girl dressed in blue and grey. 

That’s when your heart stopped.

Behind her was someone who looked a bit familiar to Danielle.

It was a girl dressed in the most form fitted red blazer and the hottest black, grey and white skirt Danielle had ever seen. Up to her knees were black and red argyle socks that stopped just above the kneecap and showed off her smooth thighs.

She was knocked completely out of her trance when the girl in red walked past the other three and was strutting briskly towards her. Her grey-blue eyes glared into Danielle’s own bright brown ones.

The girl stopped nearly in Danielle’s face and sneered, “Just who the hell are you? Bob Stinson?” She smirked and the cafeteria roared with laughter.

‘What the hell?’ Danielle thought.

“Uh, no.” Danielle started with an unamused look,”The name’s Danielle, babe. Danielle Smith” She smirked at the girl’s expression as it shifted, her eyebrows knitting further and her jaw clenching. “Who the fuck are you?” She asked, eyeing the girl up and down.

The cafeteria gasped and went dead silent, which confused her further. She lifted an eyebrow and looked back up at the girl in front of her. She was slightly taller with the heels she was wearing, but Danielle would easily be taller without them.

“I’m Heather fucking Chandler, and I’m the one who’s about to make your greasy ass life a living hell,” She seared, grabbing Danielle’s shirt tightly. Behind her, you could see the three other girls she came in with. The one in yellow looking rather neutral. The one in green was grinning smugly with her hand on her hip, and the girl in blue looking... Apologetic? 

“uhhhh... If you say so princess,” Danielle chuckled looking amused. She stepped to the side and walked past the four, heading to the lunch line,”Have a nice day”. As she passed, she could see the girl’s face from the corner of her eye. It nearly matched her blazer’s color of red as she stared at Danielle in complete disbelief and anger. Her friends(?) behind her had a similar look of shock, as well as the rest of the cafeteria. Danielle chuckled to herself and proceeded to get her food. Behind her, the cafeteria stayed silent until the girl in red’s voice cut through the air,”What the hell are you looking at!?” and everyone immediately started talking again like nothing happened.

‘What the fuck kinda Mean Girls Regina George shit did I just witness’ Danielle thought as she sat in an empty table in the corner. Well, almost empty. There was a guy sitting on the opposite side dressed in a long black trench coat. Everything about him screamed school shooter so she decided to mind her business and eat her food. That is until he started talking to her.

“That must’ve took some guts,” he said looking in her direction.

“Huh?” Danielle raised an eyebrow. He chuckled.

“You basically just told Heather Chandler, demon queen of Westerburg High School, to sit and spin,” he said holding up his middle finger, looking extremely amused,”nobody does that.”

Danielle chuckled with a somewhat bemused face,”people are actually scared of her?”

The guy chuckled as well, “Oh yeah, almost everyone,” he said, ”but not me.”

“How come?” Danielle asked, genuinely curious.

He paused before answering, looking almost cautious to answer. He looked down at the table and let out a small open mouth sigh,”You see Dani, I move around a lot. Don't stay in one place very long. Today I’m here, tomorrow I might be in Texas. The only thing Heather Chandler can control is Westerburg. She has no power anywhere else.”

Danielle raised an eyebrow at the nickname but said nothing of it. Instead she nodded to the guy’s words. “You’re right,” She said, picking at her food, “god this place is like every generic movie set in high school.”

The guy snickered at that and nodded, “Yeah, yeah it is.”

“So what’s your name?” Danielle asked with an amused smile. The guy lifted his eyebrow in fake defiance. “Come on, you know my name, it’s only fair,” she reasoned. He nodded at that and smiled.

“I’m Jason Dean, call me JD though,” he said, reaching his hand out. 

Danielle took it and grinned,”Nice to meet you JD.”

____________________________________________________________________________

The rest of the day was uneventful. All of Danielle’s teachers were completely different people, and all introduced Danielle as the new student. It felt weird, but she rolled with it. She knew that this was all terribly wrong, but panicking would make nothing better and probably get her put in a nut house, so she just went about her day. 

She walked into her final period, World History, and was introduced to the class. The teacher then told her to take a seat in the back, next to another empty desk. She did so and leaned her head on her hand. Kids were still giving her weird looks. She didn’t know if it was because of what happened in the cafeteria or if it was because of what she was wearing. Probably both, it’s not exactly normal in this year for a girl to be dressed head to toe in men’s clothing, or, well in clothing like this in general. 

Danielle decided to ignore the student’s gazes and not so hushed whispers and just stare at the front of the classroom. That is, until the bell rang and a familiar girl in red strutted in, daring the teacher to call her tardy.

“Take a seat Heather,” the middle aged, balding man said. That’s when Danielle noticed something. The only seat open was the desk right next to her’s. Well fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hope you enjoy! If you do, consider leaving kudos and maybe a comment?~Rexbii <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danielle forms another friendship? And Shits on two of Westerburg's star athletes?

“Take a seat Heather,” the middle aged, balding man said. That’s when Danielle noticed something. The only seat open was the desk right next to her’s. Well fuck.

Heather Chandler locked eyes with Danielle before waltzing to her seat, keeping eye contact the whole way over. Danielle Raised an eyebrow and put her attention back to the front of the room. Danielle was just going to ignore her through the entirety of the class, but Heather had other plans.

“You should bag your face, save the rest of us our lunches,” she said with a smirk.

“Listen princess, maybe whatever this is that you’re doing works on everyone else here, but I’m different. So why don’t you do us both a favor, and shut your pretty mouth. At least during class,” Danielle finishes with a small grin and a wink at her.

Multiple emotions flash on the queen bee’s face before she forces a snarl. However, she doesn’t speak to her for the rest of the class. Mission accomplished.

Once the final bell rings, Danielle makes her way to the parking lot. It was a bit of trouble though, because half of the school she’d known is either completely different or not there at all. It was mind boggling.

Stepping up into her car, she twisted the keys and put the car in reverse. That’s when she hit her brakes and froze.

‘I have nowhere to go,’ she thought.

Her parents didn't live together in the 80s and even if they did, they’d have no idea who she was. To solidify her thoughts, she went her usual route home, only having a bit of trouble with different street names, and sure enough, there was a completely different family in her front yard.

‘Well fuck,’ she thought again for probably the 5th time today,’I guess I’m sleeping in my car tonight.’

She decided to drive back to the school’s parking lot. She didn’t really have any idea where else to go. She doesn’t know anyone, aside from JD but they just met, and there’s really nowhere to go.

Once she put her car in park in her usual spot, Danielle began dry heaving. Her fingers gripped the leather of the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. She was alone. She was alone and had nowhere to go and was in a completely different world.

Hell even her car stood out. This thing was a spaceship compared to the cars around right now. Danielle was in deep shit and she knew it. Fortunately, back in the present she often crashed at other people’s houses, so she had a bag full of clothes in the back with a few hygienic essentials. It would only last her about a week and a half though.

On top of that, she only had about two-hundred dollars stashed in her glove compartment. She had no idea how long she’d be here or if she would ever be able to go back. She was royally fucked if she didn’t figure something out.

Danielle sighed and ran her fingers through her brown mane of hair. This was insane. Only she would have something like this happen to her.

‘I did wish for it,’ she thought with a bitter chuckle.

She spent the rest of the day watching movies she had downloaded on her phone, bored out of her mind. What else was there to do? When her phone’s battery got low, she pulled her charger out of her backpack, thankful that she remembered to pack it today, and plugged it into the car’s USB port.

She took that as a sign to get some sleep. Climbing into the back seat, she used the bag of clothes as a pillow and held a small but sharp pocket knife close to her body. She wasn’t getting kidnapped tonight.

____________________________________________________________________________

The all too familiar screeching of her phone alarm woke her up at 7:30 on the dot. Since she was in the school parking lot, she allowed herself to sleep a little later. She groaned and reached to her side, which is normally where her night stand held her phone, but opened her eyes in confusion when her hand smacked the back of the front seat of her car.

“Oh fuck,” She cursed, panicking momentarily. She shot up and looked at the school. It was the same school as yesterday. She was still stuck in… wait- what year even is this??

She shook the question out of her mind and instead reached into her makeshift pillow to grab today’s outfit. She pulled out an old light grey men’s t-shirt she bought from Old Navy about 4 years ago, or- like 30 or so years in the future, and another pair of light wash Levi jeans.

She took out her deodorant and cologne and stuffed them into her backpack instead, because, as you may imagine, changing in your car in a parking lot full of students is not ideal. Instead, Danielle made her way to the Natatorium, which was conveniently exactly where it was in the present. Well, her present.

From there, she went to the empty locker room, and changed into her fresh clothes. She stepped in front of a large mirror and examined herself. Presentable. Her hair was a little messy but it was charming. After combing her fingers through it a couple times, she smiled. Good enough.

Her boots thudded against the floor, her legs on autopilot as she walked to her first period classroom. Since she was here so early, she was one of the first into the classroom. The teacher, who was writing down the topic of today’s lesson, stopped and turned to Danielle with a smile.

“Ms Danielle Smith, right?” She asked. Something about this lady seemed extremely familiar to Danielle.

“Um, yes ma’am,” She said, studying the lady in front of her. She was wearing a long, very hippie styled flowy dress. It was really ugly in Danielle’s opinion, but she’d seen this before.

“We missed you yesterday,” The lady said in an almost chastising voice,” Go ahead and take a seat right over there at that desk.”

“Yes ma’am,” Danielle did as she was told.

“I’m Ms Flemming by the way,” The woman smiled and it hit Danielle like a train.  
Holy fucking shit, THAT’S Ms Flemming!?

‘She’s so young,’ Danielle thought. She’d grown up having Ms Flemming as a substitute teacher almost all her life. She was a very sweet old lady, often speaking about how the world needed more love instead of war. Danielle laughed at her, but she knew she meant well.

‘Wow, it’s really her,’ The more she stared at her teacher, the more dumbfounded she became. This was all so surreal. Gods, she was really here in the past.

Soon the rest of the class began pouring in, filling up all the desks around her.

Thankfully, there was no sign of Heather Chandler, however, just in front of her was one of the girls she had been with. The one in yellow- did she wear that everyday?- was sitting in front of her.

The class was assigned book work and Danielle was bored out of her mind. She stared at the back of the blonde’s head and decided to lean forward and talk to her. “Hey,” she said in a whisper that was only loud enough for her to hear.

The girl jumped slightly and turned around to face Danielle, tensing slightly once she realized who it was. “Um, hello,” She replied, slightly dumbfounded, but polite nonetheless.

Danielle smiled, this one was definitely not as bitchy as Heather.

“It’s actually C,” Danielle said, nodding towards the girl’s paper.

“Huh?” The girl said, raising an eyebrow.

“Number 12, you answered A, it’s actually C,” Danielle gave a friendly smile, nodding again to the other girl’s paper.

Said girl looked back at her work and gasped, erasing her answer and circling the right one. She then turned around and gave Danielle a grateful look,”Thank you, but why were you looking at my paper?” She giggled, faking accusation.

Danielle smirked,”I was copying you until I realized you got that one wrong,” she admitted with a quiet chuckle, “figured telling you was the least I could do.”

The girl in yellow tucked a blonde lock behind her ear,”Well thank you,” she started, her smile fell a bit as she continued,”I’m not really supposed to talk to you.”

Danielle quirked an eyebrow,”Cause of your friend?” She asked, already having an idea of what the answer would be.

The girl nodded,”Anyone Heather doesn’t like is supposed to be like.. Exiled,” she explained sadly.

“What’s her deal with me anyway?” Danielle asks.

“Well she’s normally like that to everyone, especially new students. She kinda asserts her power. But you stood up to her, nobody does that.”

“So I’m beginning to realize,” Danielle sighed. “Well that sucks.”

The other girl nodded with an understanding face.

“What’s your name anyway?” Danielle finally asked. The girl looked almost shocked. Danielle didn’t know if it was because she wanted to know or if it was because she didn’t already know.

“I’m Heather,” She started and Danielle’s eyebrows raised,”Heather McNamara.”

“Two Heathers?” Danielle asked.

Heather McNamara giggled,”Three, actually. The girl who always wears green is Heather Duke,” she said, looking affectionate?

“Jeez,” Danielle muttered,”what’s that like? Being in a group of friends who all have the same name?”

“It’s the same as any other group, I guess. We all just kinda know who the other is talking about. Me and Duke often call each other by our last names too,” she explains.

Danielle nods slowly in response, taking in all that she had said.

“Oh, then there’s Veronica. She’s an honorary Heather,” Heather nods.

“Damn,” Danielle nods too,”Okay then.”

Heather smiles kindly and turns to continue her work. They both stayed silent for the rest of class, Heather occasionally moving over so Danielle could copy her answers. It was like a silent agreement of sorts. This made Danielle smile, feeling less alone.

About an hour later the bell rang and Danielle took her time getting out of her seat. For some reason she liked being the last one out. Usually letting all the students leave first. Once almost every kid cleared the room, she got up and swung her backpack over her shoulder.

She passed Heather and felt a hand tug her shirt. She turned around and the blonde gave her a small smile,”I know I’m not really supposed to talk to you, but I’d like to hang out sometime. Maybe someday after school? When I’m off Heather duty?”

Danielle’s eyebrows raised and she gave a smile of her own,”Y-yeah of course,” she answered.

“You have a cell, right?” Heather asked expectedly.

“Uh yeah,” Danielle answered, completely forgetting that her iPhone doesn’t count. The girl smiled and wrote down a number on a small piece of paper.

“Here’s my number,” She smiled cheerfully and made her way out of the classroom. Danielle looked at the piece of paper for a moment before doing the same.

A pit formed in Danielle’s stomach as she walked towards the cafeteria, remembering yesterday’s ordeal. She didn’t care what Heather Chandler did, it just wasn’t an ideal scene. She just wanted to get her food and eat.

Thankfully, when she got to the caf, the Heathers were nowhere to be seen. She smiled and continued on her way to the line. Deciding on getting a chicken sandwich, she made her way to the same table she sat yesterday. Her nerves ease a bit when she sees JD sitting in his spot.

About halfway there, however, some guy in a red and white varsity jacket bumps into her and smacks her lunch tray out of her hands.

“Ooops,” he says sarcastically, barely holding back laughter before turning to another guy in the same varsity jacket and howling, “Punch it in!” Causing students around them to snicker.

“The fuck is wrong with you prick?” Danielle bites back, fists clenched. The two boys stop and turn back to the girl with a mixture of shock and anger.

“The fuck did you say to me, skank?” He spits in her face, pushing her backwards. The cafeteria goes silent. Danielle growls and pushes the boy back,”I said,” she pushes him again,”The fuck,” and again,”is wrong,” and again,”with you,” and again,”Prick!” She pushes him harder on the last word and he bumps into his friend behind him.

His face scrunches in complete anger and he reels his arm back, going for a punch. Danielle had kicked many asses in her day, male and female. She was well built and grew up rough housing with a bunch of her boy cousins. She always won of course.

So when she realised what the boy was doing, she smirked. She stepped back in time for the boy to completely miss and stumble forward. She took that as an opportunity to send a hefty punch to the gut. Not full force, just enough to wind him. He wheezed and fumbled to the ground, clutching his stomach.

His friend was fast behind him, running at Danielle full force. She panicked because of his speed and kicked forward, stomping him right in the dick. His mouth opened and his hands flew to his crotch as he buckled over, falling right next to his friend. The cafeteria stayed silent for a solid 30 seconds.

“Jesus H. Christ,” Some girl in glasses said across the cafeteria, breaking the uneasy silence,”She just decked Kurt Kelly and Ram Sweeney.” Murmuring filled the cafeteria and JD, who had shot up from his seat as soon as Kurt and Ram first approached Danielle, had grabbed Danielle by the hand and was leading her out of the cafeteria.

On the way out, Danielle saw the Heathers standing at the entrance on the other side of the cafeteria. All of them had their mouths agape and were staring directly at her in shock. Danielle’s eyes met Heather Chandler’s and she couldn’t help the smirk that crept onto her face. She gave the girl a wink before being dragged out of the room.

“Holy shit, that was insane!” JD claimed ecstatically, raising his hands,”you fucked up two of our star football players.”

Danielle looked smug,”We don’t play like that where I’m from,” she chuckled, “Start shit, get hit.”

“Jesus,” JD shook his head, letting out a huff of air. “Where are you from anyway?”

Oh jeez.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one night! Jeez I'm real excited for this story. Remember, if you enjoy, leave a like and maybe a comment?~Rexbii <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JD is a great guy. Danielle attends a party. Heather Chandler is a bitch.
> 
> {Slight NSFW warning}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot longer than my other ones and I'm very proud of it!!  
> Slight NSFW WARNING!

“Jesus,” JD shook his head, letting out a huff of air. “Where are you from anyway?”

Oh jeez.

Danielle thought about the pros and cons of telling JD the truth. On the one hand, she’d have someone to talk to and understand her situation, but then there was the problem of the truth being totally bat shit insane. There’s no way in the world he’d believe it.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Danielle said with a bittersweet chuckle,”It’s insane.”

He raised his eyebrows and gave a reassuring smile,”No such thing as insane, try me.”

Danielle gripped at the fabric of her tucked-in tshirt and sighed,”Okay,”she started,”I’m from the future. 2020 to be exact.” A moment passed after the words left her mouth and she brought her gaze up to look at JD.

He closed his eyes and his brows raised higher. A snort left him and he wiped an eye with his finger. “That was the most insane thing I’ve ever heard,” he said snickering. Danielle deflated and looked down at the ground.”But,” he spoke again after his laughter died down,”I believe you.” He looked sincerely at Danielle and for a moment she thought her ears were playing some kind of trick on her.

“Wait, really?” She asked in disbelief.

“Yeah,” he nodded,”It would explain a lot.” He nodded to nowhere in particular,”I’ve seen that thing you drive. Thing looks like a friggin spacecraft, I’ve never seen anything like it,” he gave a breathy chuckle,”the same could be said about you, everything about you is just other-worldly.”

Danielle couldn’t believe it. He believed her. She didn’t know if it was because of the stress of the situation or the relief of having someone understand her, but she burst into a fit of laughter that slowly shifted into sobs. The image of herself in her head made her laugh even more though, so she just sat there laugh-sobbing in front of JD.

He stood there quietly, letting her get it out. Once the tears stopped, Danielle groaned and ran her fingers through her hair, a nervous habit of hers. 

“Damn, this is fucked,” she sighed. He nodded with his lips pulled back in a thin line. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. All I have is my truck, my phone, and a bag of clothes. I have nowhere to go and I have no form of income. I’m alone here.”

JD put his hand on her shoulder and she relaxed,”You’re not alone. I’ll help in any way I can. Hell you can crash at my house if you need, my dad won’t give a shit.”

Danielle looked back up at him in bewilderment,”Really?” He nodded in response, bringing his hands into his pockets.

“Yeah, it’s no problem.”

She closed her eyes and sighed, shaking her head slightly,”I-just.. wow thank you.That’s- wow ” she let out another exasperated laugh.

He chuckled the way he does and smirked,”If I were suddenly thrust back to a time where I wasn’t even born yet, I’d want someone to help me too.” And with that, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a puff and blowing smoke the other way before offering it to Danielle. She didn’t normally smoke cigs, but after all she’d been through she figured she could use the edge.

After the bell rang, JD handed Danielle a piece of paper with his address on it and told her she was free to come after school and stay as long as she needed. She thanked him once more before making her way to her next class.

About halfway there she decided to head to the bathroom, she hadn’t peed in like 48 hours and it was starting to hit her. She pushed the door open and turned to go into an empty stall when she was met with the Heathers, who all had their backs turned to her.

Danielle stopped awkwardly and quietly turned to leave to find another bathroom but she was stopped by the sound of Heather Chandler’s voice.

“Not so fast, Andrea Dworkin,” Heather Chandler finished her lipstick in the mirror before turning to Danielle with a smirk, nudging the other girls to laugh at her joke, which they did. Heather Mac, which Danielle had taken to calling her in her head, looked at her apologetically.

Danielle sighed and stopped, instead stepping back in and closing the door,”Yes?”

The head Heather turned her body towards Danielle and looked her up and down, her smirk never leaving her face. Danielle’s cheeks reddened at the gaze, which she was sure Heather noticed, she didn’t speak on it though.

“That was some show you put on in the cafeteria, everyone is talking about it,” she took a step toward Danielle. Danielle put her guard up, raising her eyebrow quizzically. “I’ve never seen anyone do what you did, let alone a girl,” she said, looking her up and down once more,”if I can even call you that.”

Danielle faked a hurt expression and brought a hand to her chest,”Well,” she said in a fake exasperated tone.

Heather rolled her eyes and brought a hand up to grip Danielle’s chin, forcing her to look up at her. Danielle was incredibly uncomfortable at this proximity. It didn’t help that she could practically taste Heather’s cherry-vanilla perfume. It made her cheeks hot.

“Listen and listen close, you greasy pillowcase, I’m giving you the offer of a lifetime,” she spoke in Danielle’s face,”I’m making you an honorary Heather,” she smirked with cocky authority,”we could use a physically strong member, it would boost our power through the rafters. You’ve even got the rowdiest guys on the football team quivering in their panties. We could use you.” when she was finished she held Danielle’s gaze with that same smirk.

Her smirk dropped when the other girl laughed in her face, slowly pushing her hand away from her face and taking a step to the side. “Babe, I came here to pee, not join the dark side,” she snorted. Heather’s face heated and she practically stomped like a child throwing a fit.

“What the fuck!?” She raised her voice, stepping even closer to Danielle,”This is the opportunity of a lifetime, I could make you someone! You could be worshiped here!” 

At this close to the other girl, she could make out the exact shade of red lipstick the other girl was wearing. Quickly snapping herself out of it, she stepped back again and put her hands up.

“Sorry Princess, not interested,” Were the last words she said before turning and leaving the four girls in the bathroom. She shook her head and instead walked in the direction of her next class. She’d just have to pee some other time.

____________________________________________________________________________

After the door shut, the bathroom stayed silent. Heather Chandler stood frozen in front of the door and the other three girls didn’t dare speak. A few moments passed before the red Heather took in a deep breath and turned to her friends with a terrifyingly calm expression.

“Veronica, be a dear and write us all notes to get us out of next period, we’re going shopping,” She ordered.

“But Heather I have cheer-” 

“We’re going, get over it,” was all Heather had to say before Mac put her head down in acceptance. Veronica frowned and did as she was told before they were all dragged out of the bathroom and out to the parking lot where they all entered Duke’s jeep.

The ride there was quiet, except for the radio quietly playing some new song by the hit band, Big Fun. Everyone was too scared to say anything, terrified that anything would set Heather off, and no one wanted to be on the receiving end of Heather’s cold hard wrath.

The mall was mostly empty aside from a few older people and the occasional teenager or two who was also skipping whatever class they had. It was an eternity until Veronica finally spoke up. She was the only one in the group who had the guts to go up against Heather. Having told Heather to ‘lick it up’ when she drunkenly puked on her shoes after ruining a mean prank directed at Martha Dunnstock a month or so ago. Of course she crawled back to Heather and apologized the next day until Heather forgave her.

“Come on Heather, you haven’t said a word since the bathroom,” The girl in blue spoke up,”I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this quiet. Surely this mystery girl hasn’t gotten under your skin that bad.”

Heather clenched her jaw and her grip on the blazer in her hand tightened. 

“Yeah Heather, why’s this girl got your panties in such a twist?” Heather Duke snidely, but still genuinely curious.

“Shut up, Heather!” Chandler barked, making the girl in green cower a bit.

“Sorry Heather…” Was all she muttered. Mac put a hand on her back and she relaxed a bit, smiling gratefully at her.

“I’m not bothered,” was all Heather said,”I just can’t believe the nerve she had.”

“Sure,” The words slipped out of Duke’s mouth and she panicked, but all Heather did was glare at her.

“It doesn’t matter, because tonight,” she paused and smirked,”we’re going to a party at Ram’s house,” she declared, lightening the mood. The other girls sighed and smiled, glad Heather was in a slightly better mood. Even if it was only slightly.

The girls finished their shopping and paid for everything before heading to the car and stuffing everything under the seats. 

“Ready?” Duke asked from the driver’s seat, and with a unified nod, she started the jeep and took off back to Westerburg. They arrived just in time for last period, having been gone a little longer than they anticipated. 

After walking in, they went their separate ways.

Heather had an authoritative smile on her face as she strode through the hallways. Her smile only grew at the way students cowered around her and stepped out of her way. God did she love being the head bitch of this place. She stepped into her last period class about 5 seconds after the bell rang and her smile disappeared.  
‘Fuck me gently with a chainsaw,’ she thought, having completely forgotten that she was in the class and conveniently sitting at the desk right next to hers. She rolled her eyes as she walked to her seat, not paying any mind to the weird annoying feeling she got in her gut when the girl didn’t even so much as look at her.

‘Just who the hell does she think she is, turning me down and then ignoring me, Heather Chandler?’ She snarled silently and gripped her pencil so hard it nearly snapped, leaving it comically bent. She rolled her eyes again and instead focused on her teacher’s incredibly boring monotone voice go on about whatever stupid clan leader in history they were discussing today. 

____________________________________________________________________________

When Danielle saw Heather Chandler walk through the door, she forced her eyes to stay at the front of the classroom. Not even wanting to give her a sliver of attention. However, when Heather walked past her to get into her seat, she couldn’t help the way her eyes traveled to the other girl’s legs. 

‘Jeez that skirt is working wonders on this girl,’ Danielle thought. Her cheeks grew bright red and she internally chastised herself. She clenched her fists and forced that thought out of her head, bringing her attention to her teacher.

When the bell rang, she sat and waited like she normally did. This offered her the perfect view of the back of Heather chandler. Danielle groaned and closed her eyes, huffing in annoyance with herself.

‘Can you not find every girl who’s a complete ass to you attractive? You stupid lesbian,’ Danielle thought to herself as she got up and swung her bag over her shoulder, one hand falling into her pocket.

Stepping into the parking lot, it was no trouble finding her truck. It stood out like a sore thumb. She stepped inside and pulled out the piece of paper with JD’s address. It wasn’t too far from here. She put the keys in the ignition and headed out.

When she pulled into the driveway next to another Chevy truck and a black Suzuki 750 motorcycle, she checked the piece of paper one last time, confirming this was the right address. Sure enough, the numbers matched and she put her car in park. Taking the key with her and stepping up to the door.

She only had to ring the doorbell once for JD to open and invite her in with a small smile. He showed her upstairs to the medium sized guest bedroom that was comfortably decorated with some band posters even she recognized.

After setting her things down, he then showed her the upstairs bathroom, his room, and the kitchen and dining room which were connected to the living room downstairs. Danielle thanked him again for being so kind and he just smiled and nodded. 

“So what’re you going to do for the rest of the day?” Danielle asked the boy.

He smirked,”Oh I’m going to that huge party tonight,” he said jokingly. However, Danielle’s attention was caught. 

“There’s a party tonight?” She asked with piqued interest.

JD chuckled,”Yeah, at the guy who you wiped the floor with’s house.”

“Oh,” Danielle said with a ‘I see,’ face. JD nodded with a breathy laugh. “I still wanna go,” she decided.

“Really?” He asked with a bemused expression.

Danielle shrugged and nodded,”Yeah, when’s the next chance I’ll get to attend a- what year even is it?” she stopped and asked.

“It is 1989,” He answered, still a bit surprised that this girl was actually from the future.

“Ah okay, well as I was saying,” she smirked,”when’s the next chance I’ll get to attend a high school party in 1989?”

She had a point. JD nodded with his hands up,”That’s fair, but what happens if Kurt or Ram see you?” He asked.

“Round two,” Danielle shrugged, this made JD laugh.

“I knew there was a reason I liked you Dani, you got guts,” he smiled and she smiled back.

“You’re not too lame yourself, Jason Dean,” She said, knowing his name would get a rise out of him. Sure enough, he waved with a scrunched face.

“Never call me that, please,” He said with disgust, causing Danielle to grin and snicker.

“So,” she started,”You gonna come with me?”

JD shook his head,”Nah, I hate parties, not my scene at all.” Danielle nodded and shrugged in acceptance.

“Alrighty then.”

____________________________________________________________________________

About an hour had passed and she decided now was as good a time as ever to head to what might be a terrible idea. She asked JD for the address to Ram Sweeney’s house and she hopped into her truck.

When she pulled onto the street JD gave her, she stared in awe at the houses she passed. These weren’t houses. These were fucking castles. Mansions larger than her house by at least 5 times. It wasn’t hard to spot Ram’s house, considering the shit ton of cars pulled into his large driveway and the many more coming in. Oh and there were already completely plastered boys and girls dancing to ear melting music that was impossibly loud in the huge front lawn.

‘This is gonna be one hell of a night,’ she thought to herself, pulling onto the opposite side of the street and hopping out of the truck before locking it. She could feel the vibrations in the earth as she got closer to the house. If she didn’t know any better, she could’ve easily confused the music as a shift in the tectonic plates.

Every step she took she could feel her heart pounding in exhilaration. A large smile grew on Danielle’s face and she stepped inside the open front door, coming face to face with an impossibly large living room. It was filled to the brim with loud kids who smelled of every alcohol known to man. All of them were too drunk to realize who she was. This was gonna be fucking awesome.

She wandered through the crowd of rowdy teenagers until she found exactly what she was looking for. Alcohol.

She grinned and poured a hefty amount of whisky into a red plastic cup, not bothering to mix it with anything, instead tilting her head back and downing half of it right there. She groaned and shook her head at the taste and the burning that went down her throat, stopping at her chest.

“That’s what I like to see!” Some guy across from the decently large counter whooped at her, looking absolutely shit-faced himself. She grinned and winked at him before pouring a bit more in her cup and heading to the main room where everything was happening.

The sight before her was great, not to mention extremely unholy. Teenagers grinding against each other, completely uncoordinated and way out of sync with whatever excuse for music was being blasted through the many speakers throughout the house. No one cared though, everyone’s libido way too high to give any shits.

Stepping into the crowd of hot teenagers, Danielle found her rhythm and let herself loose. About an hour or so and multiple shots later, she found herself dancing with some girl who was currently grinding her ass against her. Danielle was pretty sure the girl thought she was a guy, but she didn’t care. Instead, she let her hands snake around her waist and pulled her even closer. That’s when the unmistakable flash of red caught her eye from the other side of the room. 

Sure enough, when Danielle’s gaze traveled over to it, her thoughts were confirmed. 

Heather Chandler’s own gaze met hers and she looked somewhat shocked? Another emotion flashed on her face but Danielle couldn’t quite make out what it was. Either way, she liked it. She stared Heather dead in the eyes and groped the girl in front of her, grinning at her as she did so. The girl giggled, but Heather looked pissed. 

Danielle half expected Heather to stride over to her and rip her throat out, but instead she turned and took a large swig of whatever was in her cup. Ignoring her. Well that was unexpected.

Danielle shook her head and brought her focus back to the girl in front of her, who was now tugging her shirt clumsily to take her somewhere. Her smirk turned into a toothy grin and she complied, letting the girl lead her past the students and into an empty room upstairs. She knew showing up here would be worth it.

Once inside the room, the girl quickly turned around to Danielle and shut the door behind her. Danielle took that as a sign to lift her up and carry her to the empty bed and lay her down. The girl gasped and looked up at Danielle with foggy eyes, her messy black hair framing her face just right.

Danielle didn’t normally care much for hook-ups, only having had a few herself, but she didn’t care tonight. The way the girl under her was gazing up at her sent that thought right out the window. She put her arms on either side of the girl and kissed her glossy lips. The kiss she received back was less than graceful but she didn’t care. The noise that escaped the girl’s throat set a fire in Danielle’s stomach. 

Danielle growled and let her lips travel to the girl’s neck, biting and sucking where she knew would be easy to hide. She wasn’t an asshole of course and didn’t wanna embarrass the girl. As she moved lower, she reveled in the noises the girl was making. It was intoxicating. Even more so than the cup of Whiskey she had downed that night. 

When Danielle’s lips reached her collar bone, she helped her take off her vibrant,cropped crewneck top. Her teeth then made their way to the girl’s chest and her back arched when Danielle bit what she assumed was a very sensitive spot. The girl reached to unclasp her bra when the door suddenly slammed open.

Both girls jerked and snapped their heads in the direction of the door. Danielle couldn’t help the extremely annoyed groan that left her throat. Standing in the doorway looking absolutely pissed was, of course, Heather fucking Chandler.

“Jesus fuck, can this wait Princess? I’m a little busy here,” Danielle said, motioning to the half naked and very flustered girl under her.

“No. Leave, bitch. Or I’ll tell all of Westerburg about how you’re a cheating little skank,” She demanded pointedly at the girl. Said girl’s eyes widened and she grabbed her shirt quickly before stumbling out of the room, not even stopping to put her shirt back on. Danielle growled and ran a hand aggressively through her hair.

“What the fuck?” Danielle seethed,”What’s wrong with you?”

“You really are a dyke, aren’t you?” Heather smirked, like she had just uncovered something incriminating. 

“You really just blue balled me to ask if I’m gay?” Danielle asked incredulously,”I was about to be three fingers deep in that girl, dumbass, yes I’m gay!” she finished, not even trying to hide her irritation from the girl in front of her. Her buzz had washed right off in that moment.

Heather’s smirk falters and Danielle can see her confidence do the same. She sighs and turns around to sit on the bed, running her hand through her hair yet again. Never in her life had she been this hot and bothered.

“You’ll be crucified by everyone, you know,” Heather spoke again, her tone not quite what it was before as she looked on at Danielle.

“When are you finally gonna get it through your head that I don’t care, Heather,” Danielle said each word with growing irritation, letting out another long huff of air. She didn’t see it, but Heather’s face contorted a bit at the way she’d said her name. She’d never used it before.

“You should,” The girl in red spoke again, only to be met with rolled eyes.

“What are you, fucking closeted?” She asked, almost jokingly, More joking to herself than to Heather. However, Heather found nothing funny about it. Instead, her face turned a shade of red hot and made a face of disgust, losing her tone from earlier.

“I’m not a dyke,” She said pointedly, nose scrunched so hard Danielle thought it might pop right off. 

Danielle rolled her eyes and got up walking towards the door. She’d heard enough.

“Whatever you say, Princess,” she shook her head, aiming to walk past the other girl. A gasp escaped her lips when she was pushed against the door frame. She looked up at the blonde in shock and confusion, only to be met with a very frustrated and pissed off Heather Chandler. From this proximity, she could understand why so many people were afraid of her. She was sure the girl could light her on fire with looks alone.

“Stop calling me that,” She demanded, her grip on Danielle’s tshirt tightening.

Danielle couldn’t help the way her eyebrows lifted and a grin slithered onto her face. She could tell the little nicknames got to the girl, but she didn’t know they bothered her that much.

“I think you like it,” She replied, smiling sweetly up at the already fuming Heather. She knew she should probably watch her mouth, but teasing someone who was supposed to be so high and mighty was just too fun. And hot.

Danielle was sure that Heather was going to say something back, rip her throat out even, but instead she just growled in frustration and pushed Danielle back into the doorframe, storming away. Her blonde locks nearly smacking Danielle’s face and leaving that sweet cherry-vanilla scent in her nostrils.

She let out a breathy sigh and brought her phone out of her pocket to check the time. The screen lit up her face and showed it was exactly 11:40. She groaned and put the device back in her pocket, deciding to sit there for about another ten minutes. 

‘I should probably get back to JD’s,’ she finally thought, rubbing her eye. Being ripped from her buzz like that was not ideal, but at least she’ll be okay driving back. She could at least thank Heather for that much.

On her way down the stairs and to the front door, the party hadn’t quieted down a bit. She slipped through the crowd, having to step over a few sleeping bodies in a few places, and made her way outside. When she got to the end of the driveway, she had her gaze dead set on her car when something caught her eye. It’s always the red. She can’t understand why it gets her attention every time. Maybe it was because it was her favorite color, or maybe it was because the girl wearing it demanded the attention everywhere she went with looks alone. 

Either way it was annoying and Danielle hated it. Heather was pressed against the large brick wall that closed off the rest of the huge lawn. The guy Danielle recognised as Kurt Kelly had his knee between her legs and was practically eating Heather’s face. A feeling that Danielle couldn’t quite place bubbled in the pit of her stomach at the sight. She furrowed her eyebrows and continued walking. 

Danielle could see Heather look up at her as she passed, a smile spread across the blonde’s lips before she closed her eyes and lifted her head back, releasing the fakest moan Danielle had probably ever heard in her life. Something about it got under her skin, and, from the looks of it, she was sure Heather knew it too. Great.

She gripped the fabric on the inside of her pockets and continued on to her truck. Unlocking it and stepping inside. Once seated, Danielle rested her head on the steering wheel and closed her eyes, releasing a breath she didn’t know she was holding. What the fuck was tonight?

About another minute passed and Danielle started the car, making her way back to the house she’d be calling her home for who knows how long.

When she got there, she was greeted by JD seated on the couch, watching some movie. 

“Welcome home,” He grinned up at her,”How was the party?”

She walked over to the spot next to him and plopped down, letting her head fall back on the soft sofa. “It…was somethin.” Truth be told she didn’t know how to answer that question. She did have fun. Until Heather Chandler cucked her of course. Something about that girl made her stomach boil. It was kinda hot though. Jesus what was wrong with her.

JD nodded with a smile,”I bet,” he said,”Well I’m gonna clock out. If you need anything, you know where my room is,” he finished. As he got up, he did a small salute before heading upstairs. Danielle chuckled at the boy, he was so weird. She enjoyed it though.

She watched whatever was playing on the TV for another fifteen minutes before turning it off and heading up to her own room. She kicked off her boots and jeans and slipped on a grey pair of Hollister shorts. Men’s of course. After getting comfortable, she turned off the light and flopped down onto the bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she slipped away into sleep. The events of tonight began replaying in her dreams.

The all too familiar color of red being ever present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! If you enjoyed, remember to leave Kudos and maybe a comment please?~Rexbii <3


	4. Chapter 4

Warm sunlight seeped through the cream colored blinds of the cozy guest bedroom Danielle had found herself waking up in. The savory smell of blueberry pancakes danced around in her nostrils. The brunette sat up and stretched, letting out a long breathy groan.

Danielle scratched her back and stepped onto the floor, half expecting to be met with her usual freezing cold wooden floor, but was instead met with soft carpet. She wiggled her toes at the comfortable fabric beneath her and smiled. 

She dug blindly into her clothes bag until she pulled out a pair of Hollister shorts,this time black, and pulled them on. Next was a red men’s cut t-shirt with the signature nike logo across the front of it. The color caused a certain blonde to cross her mind and she shook her head with a groan.

She slipped the shirt on and applied a layer of Old Spice deodorant and a spritz of her usual cologne. After checking to see if she both looked and smelled decent, she turned to walk out the door before the sight of her backpack caught her eye. Out of curiosity, she opened it up to see what she had stored away.

Besides a mess of candy wrappers, there was nothing of interest. That is until she checked the front pocket and discovered her trusty handheld speaker. A smile formed on Danielle’s lips and she tossed it up and it fell back into her hand. At least she wouldn’t be stuck listening to music three decades old.

She pulled her phone from its charger on the dark wood dresser that was provided in the room. It automatically paired with the speaker and she excitedly navigated to her downloaded songs. She was suddenly very grateful she downloaded most songs. At the time, she had done it because there were a lot of spots at Westerburg High that were total dead zones and music is usually what had kept Danielle going throughout the day.

Her piercing brown eyes landed on a particular song and she grinned that toothy grin of hers. The soft strumming of a guitar began playing from the speaker and she made her way out the door, nodding along with the song as she stepped down the stairs.

When she bounced off the final step, she was met with JD in the kitchen, looking over at her quizzically. His usual trench coat was nowhere in sight. Instead, he simply wore a white t-shirt and a pair of black boxers. It was strange seeing him without it, even if she hadn’t known him that long. She hadn’t yet seen him without it.

She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of JD’s voice.

“What’s that?” He asked, pointing to the little speaker playing music in her hand.

Danielle grinned and placed it on the marble countertop,”It’s a bluetooth speaker,” she answered.

“A what tooth?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. Danielle chuckled and turned the music down a little further, deciding to pull out her phone to better show JD.

“It’s just a speaker that plays whatever I choose from here,” she explains, showing the confused boy the playlist she was currently playing from her phone’s downloads.

“Ah…I see,” he nodded slowly,”And these are songs from the future?” he looked back up to Danielle who had been eyeing the steaming pancakes JD just placed onto two plates.

“Yeah, this one’s called Prey. It’s by a band called The Neighborhood. It’s one of my favorites,” she answered. Danielle could see JD’s foot tapping and his heading nodding along with the beat. 

“I like it,” he grinned,”got anymore?”

Danielle mirrored his grin and nodded excitedly,”Yes sir, I sure do.” She flicked through the playlist before landing on,”Arabella”.

They both moved to the song. JD doing so as he finished stacking the pancakes onto the plates and placing them both onto the wooden dining room table, motioning for her to eat up. She thanked him and hungrilly dug into her breakfast, not having had a decent meal since the day before she was suddenly thrown back in time.

As the song continued playing, Danielle listened to the lyrics she had heard so many times before and her mind began to wander.

‘She's got a Barbarella silver swimsuit’  
‘And when she needs to shelter from reality she takes a dip in my daydreams’

Images of a certain blonde in red started filling her mind. She pushed the thought to the back of her head and she took another bite of her pancake, which was delicious actually. JD knew what he was doing when it came to pancakes.

‘My days end best when this sunset gets itself’  
‘Behind that little lady sitting on the passenger side’

The words danced around in her mind.

‘It's much less picturesque without her catching the light’  
‘The horizon tries but it's just not as kind on the eyes’

Danielle closed her eyes and brought her fingers to pinch the bridge of her nose, letting out a sigh. JD noticed and leaned forward with concern written across his face.

“Somethin’ wrong Dani?” He asked.

‘As Arabella’  
‘As Arabella’

Danielle looked up at him and shook her head,”Nah, I was just thinkin bout things.” She didn’t expect JD to look on curiously, as if asking her to continue. “It’s nothing, really,” She chuckled, hoping he’d drop it. He didn’t look like he bought it but he gave in anyway, much to her relief.

“If you say so,” He sighed, “I’m here if you ever need to talk though.”

Danielle smiled, genuinely appreciating those words. “Thanks JD.” The boy nodded in response and they both went back to their food. “Jesus, this shit is amazing,” Danielle hummed blissfully. 

JD gave an embarrassed chuckle and grinned down at his plate,”Glad you think so.”

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

After breakfast, JD headed out. Telling Danielle he’d be back sometime before 6. 

Danielle was sitting on the bed in her temporary room, playing some game she had installed forever ago on her phone, when she remembered the piece of paper tucked away in her backpack’s side pocket. 

She reached off the side of the mattress and unzipped it, pulling out the crumpled piece of paper and looking at the numbers written. For a moment, Danielle wasn’t even gonna bother trying, deciding it was probably stupid to try and call using a phone from 30 years in the future. However, she finally said fuck it and dialed the number on the paper.

She brought the phone to her ear and expected to get nothing, but it actually started ringing. Shock instantly made its way to her face when she heard the phone pick up and that unmistakable bubbly voice answer.

“Hi! Heather McNamara speaking, who’s this?” The voice asked through the phone.

“Hey, it’s Danielle,” she said, suddenly growing nervous.

Danielle heard the girl gasp on the other side of the phone,”Oh! Hey! I was wondering when you’d ring,” she said cheerfully, ”So what’s up?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today? If you weren’t on ‘Heather duty’,” Danielle chuckled.

“Yeah totally!” Mac beamed through the speaker, ”I am completely Heather duty free today. You wanna come to mine?”

“Sure,” Danielle smiled,”Gimme the addy.”

Mac told her the address and Danielle promised to be there in 15. She was more excited than she wanted to admit. It was nice having another friend. She didn’t have many back in the present, just a few she’d talk to in school every now and then, and it was nice to really be able to go hang out with someone.

It didn’t take her long to pull into the driveway of yet another castle of a house. Jesus, what did these people do for a living? She’d have to ask Heather.

After parking her truck and hopping out, she stepped up to the large wooden doors and rang the doorbell. The large doors were slowly pulled open and instead of the slim girl from class Danielle expected, there was a huge burly man standing in the doorway. He looked down at her with furrowed eyebrows and a deadly gaze.

Danielle stood staring up at the man in shock, unsure of what to say. They held each other's gaze for a moment before the man spoke.

“You’ve got a lot of gall showing up to my doorstep,” He spoke with a low voice, squinted eyes still staring daggers down at Danielle. 

Danielle was about to stutter something out in confusion when a voice spoke behind the man.

“Come on daddy, stop scaring her!” Heather’s blonde lockes pushed past her dad through the doorway. The man’s deadly expression morphed into a smug and joyful grin.

“Alright alright, I’ll stop,” He chuckled in a much softer tone and ruffled Mac’s hair, much to her dismay, before turning back to Danielle with his hand out. His expression was the exact opposite to the one he had just seven seconds ago. “I’m Dave McNamara, you can call me Dave. Heather told us you were coming, you’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

Danielle swallowed and took the radiant man’s hand into her own, shaking it firmly,”Uh- Danielle Smith, thank you sir.” She was still extremely confused as to what had just happened but had no time to process as Mac groaned and pulled Danielle by her shirt, leading the way into the huge house.

Mac’s room was upstairs, the furthest to the right. The surrounding rooms were mostly empty, aside from the usual furniture in each room, so they would be unbothered. As soon as the bedroom door shut, Mac turned excitedly to Danielle and smiled.

“So, what do you wanna do?” She asked, bouncing slightly,”We could go shopping, do each other's nails, I’ve got a croquet set in the back, or we could watch a movie?” Her words were quick and she took a little breath when she finished.

Danielle chuckled bemusingly and smiled,”I’d love to watch a movie. What’cha got?”

Mac smirked at her before moving to open a large cabinet, revealing a huge collection of vhs movies labeled and organized by genre. Danielle looked awestruck before her lips curled into a huge grin.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

The two girls were leaning on each other, both cackling with laughter. Their faces were lit up by the TV screen in front of them but neither of them was paying attention to the movie playing. They’d instead taken to telling each other stories, barely able to get them out without bursting out into a fit of laughter between each word.

“They really just left you hanging there? Dangling from the tree?” Mac said through fits of giggles, wiping tears from her eyes. Causing her Mascara to smudge slightly, neither of them cared.

“Yes! My ankle still has the scar from the rope,” She chuckled breathlessly,”I never played that game with them again.” 

After the both of them had settled down, they sat in a comfortable silence while the movie carried on, catching their breath. 

The silence lasted for a good few minutes before Mac’s voice spoke softly.

“This is really nice,” She said, not meeting Danielle’s gaze. She looked almost embarrassed.

Danielle’s eyes travelled to the blonde at her side and she gave a crooked smile. “I’m sure you do this kinda thing all the time,” she chuckled,” you’ve got tons of friends.”

Danielle was surprised to see her shake her head,” Actually I’ve never really done this before,” she continued, “not even with Heather or Dukey.” Her cheeks seemed to redden when the nickname slipped her lips but Danielle decided not to point it out.

“Oh…” Danielle was genuinely surprised. 

“Yeah, that’s okay though. We have fun in other ways,” Mac tried to pick up a happier tone.

“Like what?” Danielle asked.

Mac paused and looked down, thinking before perking back up,”Oh well we go to parties!”

Danielle raised an eyebrow, “And are those parties fun for you?”  
Mac’s smile faded slightly,”Well… not always.”

Danielle nodded,”I think you should invite the Heathers over to do stuff like this more often then.”

The blonde looked down at nothing in particular and her fingers began fidgeting together,”I don’t know about that. The girls aren’t really interested in things that aren’t popularity related.”

“Oh come on,” Danielle pressed on, “it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

Silence fell between the two as Mac thought over Danielle’s words. Danielle could see Mac’s eyebrows furrow before she opened her mouth to speak.

“You’re right, I’ll ask them about it tomorrow!” The blonde said a little more confidently. Danielle cheered and nudged Mac, eliciting a shy smirk from the girl that made Danielle laugh.

“Good,” Danielle spoke triumphantly, “now, how about we watch… this move,” she reached over, pulling a movie from the stack and showing it to Mac.

“Cannibal Holocuast? I heard that one was pretty good!” Mac nodded in approval and Danielle popped it into the player. The girls sat back and stared intently at the screen. 

A while later, Danielle noticed Mac’s breathing slow and looked over to see that she had fallen asleep. With a smile, Danielle reached back and pulled a blanket from the bed before placing it over the sleeping girl. Not long after, she too had dozed off with a feeling of utter happiness that she hadn't felt in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy hell, sorry for taking so long to update. Unfortunately, I don't know how often I'll be able to update, so I can't really offer much of a schedule. I am thankful for all of your kind comments, they do motivate me to continue this story whenever I can. Love you guys <3 Hope you enjoyed!!!


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